The ripened fruits of the locust bean tree (ceretonic siliqua) consist of brown pods of 10 to 20 cm in length with 5 to 10 beans each. From the beans, locust gum powder is obtained as a swelling substance, while the empty pods yield a product which is suitable, particularly because of its color, for extending or as a substitute for cocoa powder.
For this latter purpose the pods are first split, and the outer skin is removed. Then they are roasted to remove, as far as possible, the water contained therein and subsequently cooled to room temperature, ground and sifted. The powder obtained has about the following composition:
______________________________________ Water 2.0-12.0% Fat 0.5-1.5% Raw Protein 4.0-5.0% Raw Fiber 4.0-5.0% Ashes 2.0-4.0% Nitrogen-free Extract 80.0-85.0% The total sugar content is 30-52%. ______________________________________
Unfortunately sometimes locust bean pod powder has an unpleasant odor and tastes like burnt fat, so that it can not be readily used in the production of high-quality products in the food sector, particularly as a substitute for cocoa powder.
The locust bean gum powder used as a swelling substance often also has an unpleasant odor and after-taste. Similar sensory problems also exist in other gums used as swelling substances, such as guar gum powder which is obtained from the seeds of the guar pod (cyamopsis tetragonolba) and has a similar composition, al,4-B-glycoside-linked D-mannopyranose-units with D-galactopyranose side radicals, as locust bean gum powder. Both products are also of interest as food additives, e.g. for the production of ice cream, fish products, beverages, sauces, puddings, potato products, bread, etc.